Vet groups: Definition of combat is outdated

WASHINGTON 
A World War II-era law established that veterans who "engaged in combat with the enemy" receive special treatment when they seek disability compensation, making it less burdensome for them to prove the injury was from their time in the service.

But members of veterans groups testified Tuesday that the law is outdated, and some veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to obtain disability benefits because they don't meet the definition.

There is particular concern, they said, that the rule interferes with disability benefits for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder whose trauma may not be documented by the military. PTSD can affect people who experience a traumatic event. Symptoms can include flashbacks and anxiety.

At his news conference Tuesday night, President Barack Obama acknowledged that returning veterans haven't always been given the benefits and treatment they need for post-traumatic stress and serious brain injuries.

"Unfortunately, over the last several years, all too often the VA has been under-resourced when it comes to dealing with things like post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, dealing with some of the backlogs in admission to VA. hospitals," Obama said, in response to a question about spending in defense and veterans programs.

The mental disorder has affected service members in non-infantry roles such as truck drivers or cooks, who on today's battlefields are vulnerable to roadside bombs or mortar attacks. They often lack a combat infantry badge or other documentation to prove their battlefield experience.

The Veterans Affairs Department has said about half of all disability claims for PTSD are approved, and the majority of denials come because the veteran lacks evidence of injury related to his time in the service, according to a report last year from the Congressional Budget Office.

Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee, which held Tuesday's hearing, said the law should be updated to define a combat veteran as any veteran who served in a combat theater of operations or in combat against a hostile force.

"There should be a better way for VA to assist veterans suffering from PTSD to adjudicate those claims without being burdensome, stressful and adversarial," Hall said.

It's estimated that if the law is changed, thousands more veterans would seek disability compensation for PTSD, potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Bradley Mayas, director of the Veterans Benefits Administration's Compensation and Pension Service, told the subcommittee that changes have been made to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to qualify for disability compensation.

Antoinette Zees, deputy chief officer for mental health services at the Veterans Health Administration, noted that the VA provides health care for five years for the recent veterans, so some veterans are getting treatment for PTSD even if they are not receiving disability benefits for it.